Research Summary

Dr. Yan Li is an Associate Professor in the Department of Radiology and Biomedical Imaging. Her research focuses on developing methods for obtaining reliable metabolic information from the brain to characterize spatial and temporal heterogeneity and the biological behavior during disease time for brain tumors, psychiatric and neurologic diseases. This includes the development of new methods for obtaining whole-brain metabolites and tools for generating metrics of brain neurotransmitters using 3T and 7T MR scanners, implementation of statistical methods to relate metabolic metrics to clinical outcomes or measures, and integration of steady-state 1H metabolic imaging with PET, hyperpolarized 13C and advanced MR imaging parameters in order to elucidate the underlying normal and abnormal biological process.

Research Funding

  • September 15, 2024 - August 31, 2029 - Project 4: Clinical translation and validation of metabolic probes to evaluate brain tumors , Project Leader . Sponsor: NIH, Sponsor Award ID: P01CA118816
  • May 1, 2024 - January 31, 2029 - High Resolution MRSI for Alzheimer's Disease and Related Dementias , Multiple Principal Investigator . Sponsor: NIH, Sponsor Award ID: R01AG087159
  • September 1, 2023 - August 31, 2028 - Brain Tumor SPORE Grant , Project Co-Leader of Project 2 . Sponsor: NIH, Sponsor Award ID: P50CA097257
  • September 1, 2023 - August 31, 2027 - Automatic, Rapid, High-Resolution Metabolic Imaging for Improved Management of Patients with Glioma , Principal Investigator . Sponsor: Department of Defense USAMRAA, Sponsor Award ID: HT9425-23-1-0510
  • September 9, 2022 - August 31, 2027 - Multimodality Neuroimaging Evaluation of Cognitive Functioning in Lower Grade Astrocytoma , Contact Principal Investigator . Sponsor: NIH, Sponsor Award ID: R01CA273028
  • March 8, 2022 - February 28, 2027 - Quantitative Steady-State and Dynamic Metabolic MRI for Evaluating Patients with Glioma , Multiple Principal Investigator . Sponsor: NIH, Sponsor Award ID: R01CA262630
  • September 15, 2022 - September 14, 2026 - Multimodal Neuroimaging for Evaluating Lower-Grade Astrocytoma , Principal Investigator . Sponsor: Department of Defense USAMRAA, Sponsor Award ID: W81XWH-22-1-0884
  • August 2, 2021 - May 31, 2026 - Neural mechanisms of speech motor control in Autism Spectrum Disorders , Multiple Principal Investigator . Sponsor: NIH, Sponsor Award ID: R01DC019167
  • March 1, 2023 - February 28, 2026 - Integrating 1H MRS with 2H-Labeled Glucose to Characterize Dynamic Glutamate Metabolism in Major Depressive Disorder , Contact Principal Investigator . Sponsor: NIH, Sponsor Award ID: R21MH130817
  • September 1, 2021 - August 31, 2025 - Monitoring Patients with IDH-Mutant Astrocytoma Using Dynamic and Steady-State Metabolic Imaging , Principal Investigator . Sponsor: Department of Defense USAMRAA, Sponsor Award ID: W81XWH-21-1-0412
  • July 15, 2017 - June 30, 2020 - Simultaneous multi-slice GABA-edited MRSI in the developing brain , Principal Investigator . Sponsor: NIH, Sponsor Award ID: R21HD092660

Education

Shanghai Jiao Tong University, China, MD/BM, 08/2002, Clinical Medicine
McGill University, QC, Canada, MS, 10/2004, Biochemistry
UC Berkeley/UCSF, CA, USA, PhD, 06/2008, Bioengineer

Honors & Awards

  • 2002-2003
    Graduate Studies Fellowship, McGill
  • 2004-2005
    Graduate Dean Fellowship, UCSF
  • 2007
    Graduate Student Research Award, UCSF
  • 2007-2008
    Krevans Graduate Research Fellowship, UCSF
    • 2008
    Margaret Heart Surbeck Scholar Award, UCSF

Selected Publications

  1. Ellison J, Caliva F, Damasceno P, Luks TL, LaFontaine M, Cluceru J, Kemisetti A, Li Y, Molinaro AM, Pedoia V, Villanueva-Meyer JE, Lupo JM. Improving the Generalizability of Deep Learning for T2-Lesion Segmentation of Gliomas in the Post-Treatment Setting. Bioengineering (Basel). 2024 May 16; 11(5).  View on PubMed
  2. Autry AW, Vaziri S, Gordon JW, Chen HY, Kim Y, Dang D, LaFontaine M, Noeske R, Bok R, Villanueva-Meyer JE, Clarke JL, Oberheim Bush NA, Chang SM, Xu D, Lupo JM, Larson PEZ, Vigneron DB, Li Y. Advanced Hyperpolarized 13C Metabolic Imaging Protocol for Patients with Gliomas: A Comprehensive Multimodal MRI Approach. Cancers (Basel). 2024 Jan 13; 16(2).  View on PubMed
  3. Coury SM, López V, Bajwa Z, Garcia JM, Teresi GI, Kuhlman KR, Li Y, Cole S, Miklowitz DJ, Pappas I, Ho TC. Protocol for teen inflammation glutamate emotion research (TIGER): Toward predictors of treatment response and clinical course in depressed adolescents. Brain Behav Immun Health. 2024 Feb; 35:100718.  View on PubMed
  4. Hu JY, Vaziri S, Bøgh N, Kim Y, Autry AW, Bok RA, Li Y, Laustsen C, Xu D, Larson PEZ, Chang S, Vigneron DB, Gordon JW. Investigating cerebral perfusion with high resolution hyperpolarized [1-13 C]pyruvate MRI. Magn Reson Med. 2023 12; 90(6):2233-2241.  View on PubMed
  5. Sana Vaziri, Huawei Liu, Emily Xie, Hélène Ratiney, Michaël Sdika, Janine M. Lupo, Duan Xu, Yan Li. Evaluation of deep learning models for quality control of MR spectra. Frontiers in Neuroscience. 2023 Aug 29; 17:1219343.  View on PubMed
  6. Chung BT, Kim Y, Gordon JW, Chen HY, Autry AW, Lee PM, Hu JY, Tan CT, Suszczynski C, Chang SM, Villanueva-Meyer JE, Bok RA, Larson PEZ, Xu D, Li Y, Vigneron DB. Hyperpolarized [2-13C]pyruvate MR molecular imaging with whole brain coverage. Neuroimage. 2023 10 15; 280:120350.  View on PubMed
  7. Huawei Liu, Adam W. Autry, Peder E. Z. Larson, Duan Xu, Yan Li. Atlas-Based Adaptive Hadamard-Encoded MR Spectroscopic Imaging at 3T. Tomography. 2023 Aug 23; 9(5):1592-1602.  View on PubMed
  8. Autry AW, Vaziri S, LaFontaine M, Gordon JW, Chen HY, Kim Y, Villanueva-Meyer JE, Molinaro A, Clarke JL, Oberheim Bush NA, Xu D, Lupo JM, Larson PEZ, Vigneron DB, Chang SM, Li Y. Multi-parametric hyperpolarized 13C/1H imaging reveals Warburg-related metabolic dysfunction and associated regional heterogeneity in high-grade human gliomas. Neuroimage Clin. 2023; 39:103501.  View on PubMed
  9. Jakary A, Lupo JM, Mackin S, Yin A, Murray D, Yang T, Mukherjee P, Larson P, Xu D, Eisendrath S, Luks T, Li Y. Evaluation of major depressive disorder using 7 Tesla phase sensitive neuroimaging before and after mindfulness-based cognitive therapy. J Affect Disord. 2023 08 15; 335:383-391.  View on PubMed
  10. Avalos LN, Luks TL, Gleason T, Damasceno P, Li Y, Lupo JM, Phillips J, Oberheim Bush NA, Taylor JW, Chang SM, Villanueva-Meyer JE. Longitudinal MR spectroscopy to detect progression in patients with lower-grade glioma in the surveillance phase. Neurooncol Adv. 2022 Jan-Dec; 4(1):vdac175.  View on PubMed
  11. Vaziri S, Autry AW, Lafontaine M, Kim Y, Gordon JW, Chen HY, Hu JY, Lupo JM, Chang SM, Clarke JL, Villanueva-Meyer JE, Bush NAO, Xu D, Larson PEZ, Vigneron DB, Li Y. Assessment of higher-order singular value decomposition denoising methods on dynamic hyperpolarized [1-13C]pyruvate MRI data from patients with glioma. Neuroimage Clin. 2022; 36:103155.  View on PubMed
  12. Hu JY, Kim Y, Autry AW, Frost MM, Bok RA, Villanueva-Meyer JE, Xu D, Li Y, Larson PEZ, Vigneron DB, Gordon JW. Kinetic analysis of multi-resolution hyperpolarized 13 C human brain MRI to study cerebral metabolism. Magn Reson Med. 2022 11; 88(5):2190-2197.  View on PubMed
  13. Autry AW, Lafontaine M, Jalbert L, Phillips E, Phillips JJ, Villanueva-Meyer J, Berger MS, Chang SM, Li Y. Spectroscopic imaging of D-2-hydroxyglutarate and other metabolites in pre-surgical patients with IDH-mutant lower-grade gliomas. J Neurooncol. 2022 Aug; 159(1):43-52.  View on PubMed
  14. Li Y, Vigneron DB, Xu D. Current human brain applications and challenges of dynamic hyperpolarized carbon-13 labeled pyruvate MR metabolic imaging. Eur J Nucl Med Mol Imaging. 2021 12; 48(13):4225-4235.  View on PubMed
  15. Kim Y, Chen HY, Autry AW, Villanueva-Meyer J, Chang SM, Li Y, Larson PEZ, Brender JR, Krishna MC, Xu D, Vigneron DB, Gordon JW. Denoising of hyperpolarized 13 C MR images of the human brain using patch-based higher-order singular value decomposition. Magn Reson Med. 2021 11; 86(5):2497-2511.  View on PubMed
  16. Wiggins CJ, Choi C, Li Y, Lin AP, Thakur SB, Ratai EM. Shimming-the forgotten child of in-vivo MR? MAGMA. 2021 04; 34(2):179-181.  View on PubMed
  17. Autry AW, Park I, Kline C, Chen HY, Gordon JW, Raber S, Hoffman C, Kim Y, Okamoto K, Vigneron DB, Lupo JM, Prados M, Li Y, Xu D, Mueller S. Pilot Study of Hyperpolarized 13C Metabolic Imaging in Pediatric Patients with Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma and Other CNS Cancers. AJNR Am J Neuroradiol. 2021 01; 42(1):178-184.  View on PubMed
  18. Gordon JW, Autry AW, Tang S, Graham JY, Bok RA, Zhu X, Villanueva-Meyer JE, Li Y, Ohilger MA, Abraham MR, Xu D, Vigneron DB, Larson PEZ. A variable resolution approach for improved acquisition of hyperpolarized 13 C metabolic MRI. Magn Reson Med. 2020 12; 84(6):2943-2952.  View on PubMed
  19. Autry AW, Gordon JW, Chen HY, LaFontaine M, Bok R, Van Criekinge M, Slater JB, Carvajal L, Villanueva-Meyer JE, Chang SM, Clarke JL, Lupo JM, Xu D, Larson PEZ, Vigneron DB, Li Y. Characterization of serial hyperpolarized 13C metabolic imaging in patients with glioma. Neuroimage Clin. 2020; 27:102323.  View on PubMed
  20. Chen HY, Autry AW, Brender JR, Kishimoto S, Krishna MC, Vareth M, Bok RA, Reed GD, Carvajal L, Gordon JW, van Criekinge M, Korenchan DE, Chen AP, Xu D, Li Y, Chang SM, Kurhanewicz J, Larson PEZ, Vigneron DB. Tensor image enhancement and optimal multichannel receiver combination analyses for human hyperpolarized 13 C MRSI. Magn Reson Med. 2020 12; 84(6):3351-3365.  View on PubMed

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